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Opetaia Foa'i For full bio click here

Opetaia Foa'i Lead singer and songwriter for Te Vaka

Opetaia Foa'i plays guild acoustic guitar on stage

Opetaia Foa’i is the songwriter/ lead vocalist of the group. He also plays the acoustic guitar, lead log drum and choreographs the show. The inspiration for his music comes from his multi-cultural upbringing - half Tokelauan, half Tuvaluan, born in Samoa and bought up in a Tokelauan community in New Zealand. Opetaia’s musical background spans both the traditional and the diverse influences of contemporary metropolitan culture. He has been described as “one of New Zealand’s finest songwriters” and in 2005 won the Senior Pacific Artist award for his work in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the Pacific Arts of New Zealand.

Manase Foa'i

Manase - Master drummer and percussionist

Drum kit, Pate Toa (rhythm log drums), Pate liki (double log drums) Manase is quarter Tokelauan, quarter Tuvaluan and half New Zealander. He joined Te Vaka in 1995 as a log drummer and percussionist but by 2001 he had taken over the drum kit. He now displays his considerable skills alternating between drum kit and log drums during the show.

Matatia Foa'i

Drum kit, log drums, skin drums, percussion. Born in New Zealand, Matatia is quarter Tokelauan, quarter Tuvaluan and half New Zealander. He joined Te Vaka in 2003 and makes his way around log drums, skin drums, percussion and drumkit with skill and ease. He also co-composed one of the percussion tracks on the latest Te Vaka CD.

Olivia Foa'i

Vocals and dance.Olivia is part Tokelauan, Tuvaluan and New Zealander. Born in New Zealand she has performed with Te Vaka since 2005. As with many members of the group, Olivia is multi-talented and loves to perform - singing and playing keyboards when she is not dancing.

Talaga Sale

Vocals and Dance. Talaga is full Tokelauan, born in Tokelau. He is an original member of the group and his voice can be heard on the first Te Vaka album recorded in 1996. Unfortunately, in 1997, just before Te Vaka left for their first world tour, Talaga was called back to Tokelau He returned to sing on the “Olatia” album in 2007 and has been touring and performing with the band ever since.

Vasa Foai

Bass player and Pau'u Malu (goat skin bass drum). Luavasa (Vasa) is half Tokelauan and half Tuvaluan born in Samoa and brought up in a Tokelauan community in New Zealand. Luavasa is a founding member of Te Vaka and toured with the group from 1995 - 1999. He took a break from touring in 2000 but rejoined the group again in 2007.

Tremayne Lihou

Lead dancer, Tremayne is part Niuean, Cook Island, Maori and European, born in New Zealand. She is a passionate dancer. Discovered by Te Vaka management in 2004 she joined the group at the beginning of 2005 and has been stunning audiences around the world ever since.

Neil Forrest

Lead Guitar, Pate Toa (rhythm log drums), Pate liki (double log drums), Pa'u Malu, skin drums& flute. Neil is a founding member and has been with Te Vaka since 1994. He has been involved with music for most of his life, learning piano at the age of eleven, and going on to play drums, guitar, flute and log drums. He was the original lead guitarist in the group but took a break to play percussion, flute and keyboard for a few years – he is now back as the lead guitarist/fluteplayer/percussionist.

Etueni (Edwin) Pita

Lead Dancer. Etueni (Edwin) is Half Tokelauan, quarter Cook Island and quarter Tuvaluan, born in New Zealand. He has been dancing since the age of five. Joining Te Vaka in 1997, he made his debut at WOMAD Pacifica. Since being with the band he has contributed his traditional and contemporary dance skills and also assists with choreography for the stage shows.

Liana Kaio

Liana is Tokelauan/Samoan born in New Zealand. She is the newest member of the Te Vaka family. As well as a being fluent in the Tokelau language, Liana has been dancing the Samoan Siva and Tokelau fatele since she was very young. Her first performance with Te Vaka was in 2008 at the Australian Songwriter awards where the band won "Best performance of the night".

Te Vaka is a unique group of ten musicians and dancers from Tokelau, Tuvalu, Samoa, Cook Islands, and New Zealand brought together under the inspired leadership of Opetaia Foa'i, one of New Zealand's finest songwriters. They have been wowing international audiences since 1997, presenting a rich, luscious mix of Polynesia's ancient culture, to the modern world and have just been announced the winners of the “Best Pacific Group” award in the 2008 Pacific Music Awards”

Te Vaka has performed in the USA and toured the UK, Europe & other parts of the world extensively over the last 12 years, performing in such prestigious venues as London’s Royal Festival Hall and Ronnie Scott’s nightclub. The group has headlined music festivals throughout Europe and been favourites at WOMAD festivals around the world including the WOMAD Festival in Seattle, USA. They have been nominated for two BBC Radio 3, World Music Awards - Best “Asia Pacific” and the “Audience Choice Award” categories.

Opetaia Foa’i is the songwriter/ lead vocalist of the group. The inspiration for his music comes from his multi-cultural upbringing - half Tokelauan, half Tuvaluan, born in Samoa and bought up in a Tokelauan community in New Zealand. Opetaia’s musical background spans both the traditional and the diverse influences of contemporary metropolitan culture.

Described as “one of New Zealand’s finest songwriters” and “ a true son of the Pacific”, he won the Senior Pacific Artist award in 2005 for his contribution to the Pacific Arts.

Te Vaka has performed in 37 countries around the world and released five albums to date. The first gained immediate worldwide acclaim and recognition for the group. Released through ARC Music, a UK based Record company, the album was distributed to over 80 countries. The second album, released in 1999 through Warm Earth Records created an even bigger impact going to number one on world music charts and in some countries on mainstream radio. The third album, released in May 2002, was described as “Phenomenal” and gained the group a nomination in “Best Roots” category in the New Zealand music awards. The 4^th album Tutuki , entered the European World Music Charts at no. 4 & the USA Global Rhythm top 10 chart at no. 3. It won a Tui for “Best Pacific Music Album” in the New Zealand music awards. The latest Te Vaka album Olatia, released in July 2007 has also achieved rave reviews both in New Zealand and internationally, entering the European World Music Chart at No. 4 and winning a “Tui” for “Best Pacific Album” in the 2008 Pacific Music Awards.

On tour Te Vaka performs songs from their new album, Olatia, fourth album, Tutuki, third album Nukukehe, second album Ki mua and the successful Te Vaka, their first album released in May 1997 and acclaimed worldwide for its original style and powerful tribal, rootsy feel. Click here for downloadable Real Audio music samples. Or read some album reviews.

A chronology of the band's successes to date shows their rapid growth over the last few years.

Although based in New Zealand, the band's fusion music is inspired by the Pacific Islands, particularly the groups that comprise Tokelau,Tuvalu and Samoa, from whence the family of band leader Opetaia originally came.

The islands of Tokelau, Tuvalu and Samoa were major influences on Opetaia's upbringing and his songwriting. He was raised in Samoa until the age of nine when his whole family emigrated to New Zealand. The Tokelauan community there continued to provide musical inspiration; every gathering was an opportunity for people to sing and dance, and this mood is sustained in the evocative spirit of the band. The addition of band members from many Islands in the South Pacific also helps to add flavours from all over Polynesia to the music and dance of Te Vaka.